


Wreck of the Day

by LadyJaye



Series: Ache For You [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Again, Alpha Natasha Romanov, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha T'Challa, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF T'Challa (Marvel), Beta Clint Barton, Beta Kamala, Beta Peter, M/M, Mostly for Tony, New York Under Attack, Omega Tony Stark, Omega Wanda, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Slash, Protective Tony Stark, anywho, like always, soulbonds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 10:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7753948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyJaye/pseuds/LadyJaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The new Avengers are called to battle while the rogue Avengers look on from Wakanda.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oy vey. I said a couple of days and life straight up smacked me in the face and so it ended up being a week. Sorry guys! Thank you so much for the support! I was pretty blown away by your response to the first part of this and I hope you enjoy what's next. Officially this series will jump around through the timeline leading up to the events of "Loose Ends". It's not what I originally intended but my brain will just NOT stop writing T'Challa and Tony dancing around each other. So here we go! 
> 
> All mistakes are my own as I don't have a beta. I read through this a couple of times and didn't find anything but there might be the odd mistake in here somewhere. Also, the usual disclaimers apply....blah blah blah I don't own anything...blah blah blah.

Timeline: 1 Year after CA:CW

******* 

The bots just kept coming. Tony landed on the nearest roof, lifted his faceplate, and surveyed the scene below him. They just weren't stopping. Every street had dozens of bots crawling over every surface including broken remains of each other. The similarity to Ultron wasn't lost on him. His gut clenched at the thought of his creation's possible resurgence but Vision reassured him that it wasn't the case. The power signature was different. Lower frequency as well. But they were replicating so quickly and it almost seemed like they were duplicating themselves.

“T’Challa what's it look like down there?” Tony asked. He stepped closer to the edge and flared down at the street. The NYPD had evacuated as many citizens as humanly possible and kept the rest inside the buildings the bots were feverishly tearing apart.

“Vision, do you have eyes on Black Panther?” Tony asked, unable to keep the emotion out of his voice.

“Last seen on 34th street and seventh avenue,” Vision responded. The light from the mind stone lit up a significant portion of the street near the rooftop. Tony snapped the faceplate down and flew over. The bots lay broken on the street while several others, longer and more bulky, flew over and began reassembling them in seconds.

“FRIDAY scan those bots and find the matching energy signature!” Tony ordered and without preamble dove towards the next group, smashing them as he went.

“T'Challa! Report!” He shouted over the comms not even trying to hide the distress creeping through him. He felt uneasy as he sped towards 34th street. After the battle had begun he’d lost track of the other man.

“Black Panther report!” Tony growled low. His gut clenched impossibly tight in the absence of T'Challa's voice. His heart hammered in his chest threatening to beat it’s way through bone and the metal of his suit. It took far too long to clear the street.

“Update, Boss. There's a command center four blocks south. Heavy armor plating with six replicating bots attached. Tony turned on his tail and in the cleared path he saw him. Sleek black vibranium slashed through a group of bots in seconds. Tony sighed in relief and waved to T’Challa before dropping down beside him to fight. Once on the ground he caught T'Challa's line of sight and they moved back-to-back dropping anything that came near them. T’Challa was growling loudly with each swipe of his claws but even Tony could see that he was lagging. His left leg dragged as he moved and Tony couldn't wrap his mind around how it had happened in the vibranium suit but it brought his low boiling rage bubbling to the forefront of his mind.

His body moved without the finesse he was used to, striking out more viciously than necessary and firing his repulsors rapidly. T’Challa pivoted with him and soon their motions became more coordinated until none stood against them. It wasn't until a sea of parts surrounded them on the street that Tony acknowledged the hum in his ears as FRIDAY'S voice frantically calling out to him.

“Boss they've deployed another replicator!”

Tony surveyed the area and only lowered his arms when he confirmed no active threat was near. He watched as T’Challa rolled his shoulders back and gently rested his weight on his good leg, prepared for another fight. He couldn't see any expression beyond the mask but knew he had to be in immense pain.

His hand came up to rest on the Panther's shoulder while the other tapped his ear.

“Came loose in the fight,” T’Challa said. He didn't turn to face him but his voice came out ragged. Tony wasn't sure why that hurt but he had no time to think on it. With a glance back at where Vision was positioned he huffed and made the call even as T’Challa waivered slightly on his feet.

“FRIDAY get the coordinates to Vision. Vision I need you to shut the master replicator down then return for clean up. We'll hold the ground level until you do!”

Tony shook the rest of his anger away and with a clear head he stepped to his other teammate and held out his arm.

“There's nothing left over here we have to keep them from heading further south. We should move closer to Vision's position and pick up the slack. Copy?”

T’Challa stiffened but then moved close enough to wrap his arms around the suit’s barrel chest. They were airborne in seconds and at the site in less than a minute. T’Challa let go before they even landed and dove straight into battle. Tony had to give him credit. If it were anyone else he’d tell them to hang back but for some reason he couldn’t imagine telling the alpha to do so. The King of Wakanda would fight until he had nothing left. The least he could do was watch his back until that time came.

An explosion shook the ground beneath him, eliciting a groan beneath the helmet.

“What now?” Tony muttered.

“The main replicator is down,” Vision responded over the line.

“Good job Viz! Clear the streets!” Tony replied. He and the Panther began to move further back towards the downed replicator taking down anything that moved in their way. A flash of blue on his right had him spinning on his heel.

“Embiggen!”

“Kamala?” Tony asked in disbelief as he caught a glimpse of Ms. Marvel snatch up several bots and crush them in her stretched hand.

“Yes, Mr. Stark?”

“Am I hallucinating or are you skipping 4th period PE right now?” Tony asked as he shot an ambitious bot heading for The Black Panther's back. The man in question turned and nodded in thanks before continuing his work. The bots were staying down. Tony grinned behind his mask and set himself to taking out larger groups.

He flew several blocks past the last sighting of them before turning back and meeting the rest of his team, which included a sudden appearance by Spider-Man.

“Why did Kamala get to skip and fight?”

“Kamala didn't get to do anything! Kamala was not authorized to come in!”

“I think this counts as my phys ed. for the day! So, really—“

“Both of you should be in school! You're part time only and maybe not even that when we get back to the tower!” Tony groused.

“Clean up crew is in bound. NYPD is corralling the civilians. Transport also in bound. Regroup back in the tower, now!” Tony said in a voice that had Kamala and Peter quieting over the line. Peter called it his Team Dad voice and wasn't that just a kick in the nuts? How he had managed to acquire two teenagers in the past two years was beyond him. And that was beyond them being part time Avengers. They had damn near moved in and took over two floors of their own.

Then again they had once belonged to the Widow and Hawkeye so there were no tears there. Okay, maybe a few tears but none lately.

“We have a UN briefing in 1 hour. Hit the showers.”

There was a slight snicker over the line that had him rolling his eyes.

“Vision just don't worry about the showers” Peter laughed, referencing the time Vision actually went through the showers and became startled by the auto wash feature and managed to get himself stuck in between his showers and the kitchen floor.

“Enough!” Tony growled loud enough to have them completely silent again. He watched as they all made their way back to the tower. T’Challa slumped against an over turned sedan after the other three had left. Tony dropped down by his side and flipped up his faceplate. Normally with so much emotion in the city Tony had time singling out a scent but the smell of T’Challa’s distress was so heavy he was almost brought to his knees.

“Do you need a ride back?” Tony asked. T’Challa inclined his head just enough to acknowledge him, as if he were straining beneath that cowl. His arms wrapped tightly around Tony's chest and they were off with Tony's heart in his throat for the first time in years.

He set T'Challa aside once they landed and stepped out of his suit with a groan. His ribs were bruised for sure; Dr. Cho was going to have his ass for not being more careful. He clutched his midsection as he reached for T'Challa to help him inside. T’Challa moved so quickly Tony barely saw him before they were pressed against each other. Tony's back hit the wall behind him almost softly for the speed in which he'd ended up there.

He blinked at the man in front of him who was oddly pawing him, gloves abandoned on the landing pad and shaking fingers sliding across his under armor. And when had his cowl come undone? Tony glanced up against his better judgment. A lifetime of lessons on how to deal with distressed and unpredictable Alphas as an Omega reasserted themselves. Lower your eyes, maintain distance, and only bare your throat in submission if you must. Naturally he'd always chucked it right out of the window especially to piss off Howard. Tony Stark submitted to no one unless he wanted to. Although, a voice whispered to him, it hadn't done him much good over the years. Hadn’t he been in this exact position with Steve several years ago? He tried not think about curious blue eyes and the warm mouth that had slotted over his and instead focused on the sharp brown eyes that surveyed him so intently.

T'Challa was warm to the touch. _So warm._ Tony shuddered against him and tried to speak with little success. The next time was better, more clear and firm; T’Challa was his teammate, his friend, he didn’t want to a slave to his biology anymore than Tony did.

“Hey Kitty Cat, whatcha doin’?” He kept his tone light. T'Challa's hands fell from him quickly. Tony's body followed him slightly but he caught himself before he could go far and forced his hips back against the wall.

T'Challa shook his head once and looked back up at him his expression clearer than before and an apology in his eyes. And a bit of shame too. He opened his mouth but was beat to the punch.

“Let’s get you looked at, okay?” Tony said with a smile. T’Challa’s small relieved smile had his heart racing enough for FRIDAY to notice.

The rest of the way down Tony felt the heat of his teammate behind, following him like a shadow. At the medical floor Tony gave in when T'Challa insisted he go first, his soft expression and dark eyes burned through his resolve.

The infirmary was bright despite only two sections being open. Dr. Cho shook her head at him the moment she saw him and motioned forgiving to take a seat. He hopped up on the table and winced.

“Again, Tony?” Dr. Cho chided him. “We better get a good look at your chest, too. Any damage to the prosthesis?”

“I don’t feel damaged if that’s what you’re asking,” he replied. With a roll of her eyes she began prodding at him.

T'Challa followed behind him and took the opposite table albeit a lot slower than Tony did. He looked after the man worriedly while his back was to him and with Dr. Cho between them, counting the seconds until he turned back around to avoid getting caught staring. The beta woman helped him ease the top of his under armor down to his waist. In the aftermath if his adrenaline rush he was reminded once again of how squishy and human he was. How breakable he could be even in the suit. He didn't have to look down to know what had caught T'Challa's eye the second he had righted himself on the table. If the other man’s hands clenched the table beneath him any harder he’d hurt himself.

Across his collarbone were several scars where his suit had bent under Captain America's shield. The scars that stretched down several inches were from the attempts to pull him from his damaged suit and the resulting surgery. It was a sight to look at but better than what was left of his original prosthesis. The titanium components were cracked and nearly pierced his heart. Dr. Cho herself had been unable to look at it for long the first time she saw. The string of curses from the woman had been a surprise just as much as her declaration that she'd be staying on as a part time doctor for what was left of the Avengers. That he still had friends left.

Tony grimaced as she began taping his ribs. It was all old hat to him. Even T'Challa’s appraising look over the good doctor’s shoulder. Tony placed a hand on her shoulder as she went to grab another strip.

“Can you give us a moment?” He asked and she nodded at him. He waited until the door sealed shut behind her before answering.

“Tony about earlier. I must apologize,” T’Challa immediately began.

“No, I understand, it’s—I’m used to—after a battle, you know. From before,” Tony said. “Say no more.”

“With your old team,” T’Challa said. He was so calm. He barely even twitched, which of course, sent Tony tapping his fingers against the sterile paper covering the medical table. The paper crunched beneath his fingers and T’Challa had yet to move a muscle.

“Yeah, ah, as I’m sure they’ve told you. I stopped taking scent blockers before with--,” he paused at the painful twinge at the thought of them, of Steve. “There just weren’t a lot of Alphas on the team outside of Rhodey and-“

“Captain Rogers,” T’Challa finished for him and Tony winced. It had seemed like a full minute in which he paused. How pathetic was that to still trip over a name? He doubted that Steve had the same trouble. He had Bucky. He was bonded, mated, gone. Blissfully happy with his first and probably only, if he was felling low and being honest, real love. The perfect end to the most epic romance in recent history. The love that spanned a century. Tony rubbed the back of his neck and tried to keep from feeling sick.

“Yeah, that asshole. I’m just saying I’m used to it is all. Alpha friends wanting to check me over after a battle. Even the betas would pat me down from time to time. Mostly because I’m pretty pathetically vulnerable out there. Prosthesis and what not. That’s what this is by the way,” Tony said in a rush. He tapped his chest gently.

“I’ll start wearing blockers again, so it won’t be a problem,” Tony finished. His fingers ended up in his lap and a small laugh escaped from his lips that sounded more like a mangled cry for help. Desperate to move on he opened his mouth again to call Cho back in.

“I would not call what you did today pathetic,” T’Challa said, his voice as steady as the calm he projected. “The Omegas of my country are encouraged to fight no matter any perceived handicap. You’re as strong as any of them. Nothing anyone has ever said can erase that.”

Tony inwardly groaned at that and was thankful in a weird way for the prosthetic in that he no longer sported a full body flush like he used to. The smile on the other man’s face indicated that he knew anyway. So, yeah, any attempt to hide it was useless.

“Let’s get this show on the road shall we?” Tony said and called back in Dr. Cho. As soon as she was finished wrapping him he had to shoot upstairs to the briefing room and made it with 20 minutes to spare.

Kamala and Peter sat across from each other and were apparently engaged in a staring contest with Vision trying to operate the coffee maker behind Peter. Tony let his emotions slide right off him as he approached.

“Anyone want to explain to me section 431c of the new Sokovia Accords? Anyone?” His voice broke the otherwise idyllic silence of the room. The two teenagers looked chagrined and kept their heads down. It was Vision who answered immediately.

“Section heading: Provisional Membership- Signee(s) of the Accords may adopt a provisional-“

“I got it Viz. It allows you to be members on a part time provisional basis based on your abilities, skill level, or legal age. To allow you mandatory and essential training in skill and protocols until such a time that you can fully register as a full time member of the Avenger Initiative. As follows you are on call only for extreme emergencies outside of your local jurisdiction. TL:DR? Unless I or an official member of the UN calls you in you stay put,” Tony said calmly. He came around the table to sit beside Kamala.

“I know you want to help. And I know” he looked pointedly at Peter” that you feel a sense of duty. But winging it will not be enough anymore. The protocols are there to protect them out there and you. And you have to trust that I will know when to bring you in and when to keep you on reserve.”

“We just wanted to help,” Peter said. Kamala nodded next to Tony. Both looked like they had just been doused with a cold bucket of reality. Their tempers had cooled enough to hear what he needed to say. The team was still too fresh and raw for mistakes like that afternoon. Too much was at stake.

“ I know. It feels like not helping is giving up on your responsibilities. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of charging in guns blazing anymore. We're not anything like the old Avengers….and a huge part of that is on me. I'm sorry but we have to be more mindful than we were before. It's the only way this can work now.”

“Sorry, Tony,” they answered nearly in unison.

“It’s not just you anymore. The five of us are it.”

He watched as it both registered for them and it probably wouldn’t be the last time they needed reminding. With Ross still around they had to play it better than this with what was at stake. The others were still in hiding in Wakanda and he couldn’t trust that if something big came they’d be able to make it in time. The future of the Avengers huddled close to him apologies clear in the solemn looks on their young faces.

Jarvis alerted them to a two-minute warning for the videoconference debrief. Which of course meant masks on for Kamala and Peter.

“I should probably also mention you'll both pull double training for he next month in addition to whatever the officials decide,” he snuck in right before the holographic screen appeared over ye table.

“Oh come on!” Peter grumbled beneath his breath.

Tony glanced up at the projection of Representative Gyrich.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve’s growl filled the room and even so close to the other alpha, Natasha didn’t even flinch. She shook her head and stood. Her footfalls almost reached the door when his voice rang out clear above the television commentary.
> 
> “I fucked up! Is that what you want to hear? I sat on my hands and let this happen and now…we’re broken. All of us. I fucked up, Natasha and I don’t know how to begin fixing it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile in Wakanda....

Ever since project Rebirth Steve had delighted in running, especially if he were heading into battle. It wasn't until after he'd woken up in the 21st century as a tentative man of leisure that he even had the time to consider jogging as a hobby rather than a necessary means of movement. He slowed with Sam trailing behind him and had enough time to swallow a few gulps of water from the bottle strapped to his back before he caught up breathing heavily. Sam doubled over with his hands on his knees and groaned.

“Don't even say it.” It came out as more of a grunt. Sam flopped down on the warm ground and took a long swig from his own bottle.

“Well I am physically on your left,” Steve said. The sarcasm came so naturally that Sam quirked an eyebrow at him. He looked up and shielded his eyes from the hot sun with a question in his eyes.

“Captain America made a joke. What universe is this?” He asked to the heavens and Steve rolled his eyes at the man's throaty laugh.

“It's nice. You haven't been funny since before…you know. Since…” he trails off and Steve gets it without the need to say the name. The face however swam before Steve’s eyes. And because they'd just ran he saw him decked out in his fancy workout clothes, some brand name he would never remember lulu-pata-lemon something or other, and preparing to attempt a run with him. He saw him laid out on the hard Wakandan soil breathing heavily but proud after a couple of miles sweaty and tired but smiling just for him. But it was before DC. Before Ultron. When they were just Tony and Steve. 

“It’s okay to be mad and still miss him. It's only natural. You were bonded,” Sam continued and the sympathy in his voice was enough for him to press his fingers into his eyes to ward off the oncoming headache.

“Sam…”

“Nothing more or less. It's okay to just feel. About Bucky, too.”

Bucky was a whole other story. Steve dropped his hands before he accidentally blinded himself. In the quiet of T'Challa's plane he had asked the question Steve had been avoiding since he saw him in Bucharest. Tony's scent had been all over him even if their bond was weakening by the second no matter how hard Steve tried to hold on. The disappointment in his eyes cut him deeply. It was pure Bucky not the soldier, his friend, his bonded for nearly his entire life. He had thought he'd have more time. To talk to Tony and Bucky without the heavily escalating pressure driving everyone to extremes. He had hoped there was something they could do. An Alpha bonded to two omegas was unheard of in the 40's but now? He had hoped anyway. 

Even then he thought Tony would at least try to listen even for a minute about the accords, the soldiers, and Bucky's circumstances but his omega wouldn’t, couldn’t stop. He supposed he would have felt the same way if another alpha from Tony’s past encroached on them. He tried in the down time in Wakanda to put himself in his shoes but only got angry. 

“Do you want to visit him?” Sam asked.

He knew he meant Bucky but his mind jumped immediately to Tony, hunched over a project in his workshop, goggles on and bots circling him. He could smell the gunmetal, grease, and oil coating his skin damn near molding to his own personal scent and before he knew it he was breathing deeply through his nose to pull in the warm and curious scents of Wakanda just to remind himself of where he was. Not strewn across the couch in Tony’s workshop but in Wakanda with his team safely hidden in the palace that also housed Bucky frozen in his cryo-chamber. He hated the idea of Bucky going under again but he hated the idea of being just one more person taking away his choice even more.

They began moving back towards the palace in relative silence when Steve's phone rang sending a jolt of excitement through him. He fumbled around in his pockets before grasping the tiny flip phone he kept on him at all times. He frowned when he saw the name.

“Clint what's—? “

“Get back to the palace, you'll want to see this.”

****

The team was gathered on the couch in their common area when they arrived. Wanda sat with Scott and Clint on either side of her, knees tucked against her chest and eyes narrowed at the television screen. Natasha sat perched on the arm of the couch and folded tightly across her chest. She didn't glance at them when they can in and her expression hardly changed when Sam crossed in from of her to sit on the other arm.

New York was under attack. Again. His hands curled into tight fists as he watched robots claw their way through buildings and smash cars. The feed was clearly from traffic cams and even then angles were missing from downed devices. His stomach clenched and his words froze in his throat before he could even think of assembling the team.

Vision sped past one of the cameras, taking out robots left and right. Iron Man appeared next and not too soon after Black Panther was spotted on the ground. T’Challa had told them he would be out of the country for a while. Steve should have guessed also for Avengers business. The camera angles kept jumping from vantage points all over what appeared to be midtown.

This was what they’d been waiting for. He'd been aware of the new Avengers taking on small missions to work out the kinks in their teamwork. But they were covert as T'Challa had informed him. This however was what the Avengers were formed to do. To respond to large-scale threats the authorities had no hope of containing on their own. And with only three full time members the UN would have to concede on the Accords and allow them back.

Steve just prayed this was it. That they wouldn't drag it out until something bigger came knocking.

Iron man took a significant hit from a robot wielding a large broken piece of pole and flew back into a building. Clint's laughter was cut short when Tony didn't immediately get back up. Steve leaned forward and braced his hands on the back of the couch. His fingers curled tightly into the cool surface as he waited for any angle of Tony rising from the hole in the already shaky building.

Robots were beginning to climb in after him to do God knows what to the genius. His fingers cut through the fabric of the furniture. His hands longed to grasp his shield and throw it at the machines going after his mate. _His!_ The growl he let out had everyone on the couch turning towards him in concern. He avoided their eyes and they redirected their gazes back to the mayhem.

A figure in black off to the left shot forward and ripped the robot still brandishing the pole’s head clean off with what could only be vibranium claws. Steve grimaced and anger boiled within him as the Alpha began tearing through anything surrounding the building, surrounding Tony. He recognized the alpha's rage as if it was his own and it made him feel all the more sick to his stomach. This should be him. This was his job. T'Challa jumped from robot to robot to scale the building and get to the Iron Man sized hole several floors up. A bot missing a leg and half of its left side slammed into the other man, denting him into the building. T'Challa dropped several feet and scrambled for purchase with his claws along the wall but was unable to avoid a second robot dropping on him from above. The hit sent him plummeting towards the ground.

The angle shifted away again and Steve sighed in relief at the sight of Iron Man bursting through the other side of the building, repulsors fired up. Unaware of T'Challa on the other side he shot up into the sky off camera and Steve’s hands pulled back ornate chunks of wood.

“Steve, why don't you sit down?” Natasha asked. The concern in her voice didn’t hid the speculative tone or distract him from the appraising look she sent him that meant they’d be talking later. He flopped down in front of her, legs splayed out in front of him.

A sharp breath caught in his throat at the sight of Tony and T'Challa fighting side by side on the ground, both ever watchful of each other’s backs. The battle ended just as Spider-Man and a new player announced as Ms. Marvel arrived on the scene. There wasn't any closer footage of her but even at a distance she looked younger than Wanda and and likely just as untrained as she was when they first found her. If she was anything like Spider-Man he would bet she thought the sun shined out of Tony's ass and that just wasn't a good make up for a team.

“Oh, Tony, what are you doing?” Steve muttered beneath his breath. The news program reverted back to commentary and replaying some of the action. People on the ground were interviewed after the all clear.

“The police began clearing the area immediately. I was evacuated from my building and there was a bit of a rush, some panic but I made it out with only a few scrapes. I feel lucky,” one woman said as she was handed a bottle of water by a police officer. “I don't recognize the new Avengers outside of Iron Man but I would thank them if I could.”

“I wonder how much he paid her, “ Wanda mused. “ Must be in the millions.”

_“While there are still some critics of the new Accords and the new line up of Avengers we've seen more heroes start to come forward to the UN in various countries for political asylum and to sign in hopes of helping in their home countries. There is still no word on the rogue members of the former line up of Avengers or fugitive James Buchanan Barnes. Authorities are still search—”_

The TV screen shut off abruptly. Clint had thrown the remote across the room.

“Fucker,” the beta growled. Wanda bumped his shoulder and he blew out a breath.

“Wanda you can't really think that,” Serve said in a soft voice trying to soothe the angry omega. Her eyes glowed red.

“You think he wouldn't? He has the money. He has the influence.” Wanda sat. “Is that not how your media works these days?”

Sam shrugged. “She has a point. How do we know this isn't one of Pepper's PR things?”

“That’s not his M.O., Wanda. If Stark could control the media like that he'd have done it years ago,” Steve tried again. 

Wanda shook her head in disbelief. “American media doesn’t take much. Besides you said it yourself. You don't know this man he's become...”

She wasn't wrong. He _had_ said that in the very beginning of their stay in Wakanda, words filled with anger and bitterness. Wanda raised an eyebrow at his hesitation.

“Perhaps you never did,” she said quietly.

“And you do?” Natasha challenged. Wanda’s lips thinned and she sank back further into the couch behind Clint, who sat up fully anyway, blocking her from view.

“Oh, c’mon Nat. Stark’s a self serving narcissistic bastard. He’s probably trying to make his new team completely dependent on him like he tried to with us. Still throwing money at his problems,” Clint said, his nose wrinkled in disgust. “Meanwhile we get to sit here with our thumbs up our asses hoping the UN will call. Or hoping King Fancy Feast can convince them to overturn their ruling on the accords lift the price on our heads.”

“We talked about this! Where is this coming from Clint?” Natasha asked. Her brow furrowed and her back straightened. Her gaze slid over to Wanda for a minute and the young woman adverted her eyes under the alpha woman’s critical eyes.

“You know damn well where. I haven’t heard from my wife and children in a year, Nat! A year! All because Stark rolled over onto his back for the government and had us paying for his mistakes,” Clint answered her. He glared at her like he was challenging her to defend the man and Natasha glared right back as if daring him to spit out another insult. Steve growled and they broke off the intense staring contest. Clint had a point. Steve had always hated Tony's backdoor dealings that he always swore he could neither confirm or deny. Hated that he always walked that line even after Ultron, after they had promised to stop keeping secrets from each other. 

“Stark stole our future,” Scott added. “I didn’t know him but Hank Pym was right to warn me about him.”

“We _all_ made our choices. Every single one of us,” Natasha said. She rose gracefully from her seat and nudged Steve as she went as if prompting him to speak. He turned and looked at all of them, his team.

“If you want to blame someone you can blame me,” Steve said. “I led us to this, not him.”

Wanda sent him a sympathetic glance and Clint and Scott just shook their heads. Sam crouched beside him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“You did what you could man,” Sam said.

“At least you came and rescued us from the Raft,” Clint said. “Stark left us there to rot. Some friend he was.”

“I still can’t believe he attacked you, his own alpha,” Sam said. "I knew I shouldn't have given him your location. I thought he really wanted to help." 

“You didn’t deserve that,” Wanda said. “None of us deserved what he did to us. When will you understand? He isn't good inside.”

She slowly stood and left the room. Clint, Scott, and Sam followed not too soon after. Steve retrieved the remote and flipped the TV back on. The news channel was still hung up on the battle.

“You know,” Natasha began, “I didn’t believe it would be this bad when I decided to come here.”

“What did you expect?” Steve’s question came out as more of a grunt. The team was still angry and as far as he was concerned after seeing the Raft himself, they had every right to be. Natasha sighed from above him and he craned his neck to look up at her. Her eyes were glassy but she held his gaze. 

“You never told him.”

There it was, the big elephant in the room he hadn’t discussed with anyone outside of T’Challa and Bucky. The reason why he’d been so anxious when Natasha had appeared six months prior out of the blue.

“No, I didn’t,” he said. His jaw worked as she came and crouched beside him. Her eyes stayed on the screen where they replayed Iron Man in flight.

“Why not?”

“He was my omega—“

“Bucky?”

“Tony!”

"So you don't think of Bucky as your bonded?" 

"Yes...no. What are you trying to say Natasha?" 

“So you lied to your bonded because he was your omega? Is this some jacked up 40’s alpha bullshit?” Natasha plowed on and asked, her voice hovering above a murmur.

“I didn’t know how to tell him. How do you tell the man you love that the man you were bonded to and thought was dead is actually alive and murdered your parents?” Steve shouted at her. Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Probably sometime before you start discussing marking him,” Natasha snapped. “All this time, I thought you would have said something.”

“Well it looks like we both fell short because you didn’t tell him either,” Steve said.

“True, and I have to live with that. I wasn’t his _alpha_ , Steve. I wasn’t the one lying to his face daily while convincing him to mate with me for life!”

Steve’s growl filled the room and even so close to the other alpha, Natasha didn’t even flinch. She shook her head and stood. Her footfalls almost reached the door when his voice rang out clear above the television commentary.

“I fucked up! Is that what you want to hear? I sat on my hands and let this happen and now…we’re broken. All of us. I fucked up, Natasha and I don’t know how to begin fixing it.”

 _“And for gosh sakes everyone watch your language!”_ Steve closed his eyes against the memory for all the good it did him, immediately thinking of dark eyes lit with humor and sarcasm.

“Do you love him?” Natasha asked, her voice still far away.

“I do.”

“Do you still love Bucky?”

“Always have. I don’t know how not to,” Steve answered brokenly.

“Do you want to know what I think?” Natasha asked. A humorless chuckle bubbled up from within him.

“It’s why you’re here isn’t it? We don’t hear from you for a year and you show up out of the blue,” Steve said with a challenge tugging at the end of his words. Natasha didn’t bite and he smiles a little at that. Of course she wouldn’t.

“I think you’ve already made you choice, Cap. Now you have to see if you can live with it. Just like the rest of us.”

"What if I can't?" Steve asked. Natasha shook her head at him, long red curls bouncing and spreading across her shoulders. 

"Something you should know. I've been in contact with Tony for a couple of weeks now," Natasha said. Steve scrambled to his feet without a care for grace. Was that why she was here? He grit his teeth at the idea. Was that their whole plan? Fake betray Stark so that she could get back in with them and feed him information on the side. He wasn't aware the growl had built until Natasha held her hand up and rolled her eyes. 

"No matter how angry we are at each other, he's still my friend. They're amending the accords to better fit a new team of Avengers and maybe even bring you all home. He's working out an independent contract for me," Natasha said, pride in her voice. Steve's jaw clenched. Some of this he already knew. Natasha's part in it worked it's way under his skin. How long had she known about this? If the attack hadn't happened would she have just left? 

"Still playing both sides I see," Steve said mulishly. Natasha smiled wide at him, showing nearly every tooth in her mouth, almost predatorily.

"You know me," she replied. 

"So why are you telling me all this?" Steve asked. 

"To give you time, Steve. It'll take a while for them to get you all pardoned. I know it'll happen because Tony has already set his sights on it. And that means you still have time to tell the team what really happened in Siberia," Natasha said lowly and the other shoe had finally dropped. She'd never really asked much about what happened. Just a question here or there about the hows of him and Bucky escaping with their lives and he told her truthfully. Tony attacked out of pure rage and tried to kill them both. He incapacitated the suit and got them out of there before Tony could catch a second wind and begin fighting again in earnest. He did the right thing, prevented the death of one or both of his omegas. He'd saved them all. 

"Listen, I need to tell you--"

"Oh, no," she cut him off,"I'm not the one you need to talk to." 

Steve glanced back towards the other end of their quarters, where the bedrooms that held his team were. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. 

"I told them the truth, Natasha," Steve said as calmly as he could but there was still an edge to his voice. 

"Just don't make the same mistake twice, Steve," Natasha said. She opened the door and stepped into the doorway. "Tell them or I will." 

And with that she was gone, silently slipping away into the night like she had so many times before. The door gently shut behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, Steve. Get yo shit together. I kept wanting to add more to this so that it wasn't entirely Secret Avengers and Steve angst but everything else I have written seemed out of place. I hope you guys liked it! Let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! *waves enthusiastically* Let me know what you think!


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